


In Five Words

by lal nila syrin (lalnilasyrin)



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Death, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-11 07:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3319529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalnilasyrin/pseuds/lal%20nila%20syrin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All of the moments that defined Danny's life seemed to start with just five words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Five Words

All of the moments that defined Danny’s life seemed to start with just one thing.

Or rather, they started with just five words.

Five words over a lifetime that he had never appreciated as much as he should have, but was now realizing how much he wanted to.

"We’ll protect you from ghosts," his father said when he was five and trembling from his nightmares, clutching his blanket as the man checked under the bed for monsters.

"Wow, that sandwich looks good!" His best friend had said when they were eight and it was the first day of school, and Danny hadn’t even known his name yet but the boy was already appreciating good meat when he saw it.

"Hi, my name is Sam," his future girlfriend had said when she walked up to him in eighth grade, all dark colors and undercut hair and her hand on her hip alongside her smug smile, ignoring her fuming parents behind her.

"Maybe we should just quit," his mother had sighed in disappointment as she walked away from the contraption in the wall, her shoulders drooping, and Danny felt a pang of sympathy and had the passing thought that he wished he could have helped her somehow, because he never wanted to see her like that again.

"You gotta check it out," the girl who was now one of his best friends had said when he showed his two friends the portal—and he hadn’t been able to refuse, because he was genuinely curious too—and shortly after, he had  _died_.

"I’ve gotta fight the ghosts!" He had declared when he realized his city was in danger, and it was partially his fault that ghosts could now come through the functioning portal—it was his responsibility, so he took it up and became a  _hero_.

"We’ll help you fight, Danny," his friends had promised, and they had been there ever since and he loved them for that.

"I am so sorry, Valerie," he apologized when the girl he liked couldn’t hear him, and what  _could have been_  disappeared before his eyes, because she had decided he would be safer without her, and he had realized he couldn’t trust her with his secret and that  _hurt_.

"I won’t become him, promise," he had vowed when he saw what evils he could do and fought against it, and from then on worked even harder to be a good person.

"I love you, little brother," his sister said softly, when all was said and done and she revealed that she knew his secret, and had joined his team of ragtag ghost hunters—eventually becoming one of his best supports, and he would never admit out loud how much he needed her at times.

"I can’t tell them now," he had whispered in despair to his close friends and his sister, staring forlornly at his parents and knowing that even if they would accept his secret, he could never burden them with the guilt of knowing what they had done to him when they didn’t know.

"You’ll be the only one," the time master had said once, mysteriously, when he asked who would be left standing and who would end up falling, when all the ghosts he fought ended up in a never-ending war with him—and the moment he heard those words, he didn’t know what to make of it but he knew it would be his fate.

"I’ll be okay, I think," he had said when he realized the fights were getting harder, that Vlad was beyond ruthless, and Skulker wasn’t holding back, and how many other ghosts and hunters wanted him dead—and his small injuries weren’t so small anymore but he couldn’t let his friends know that.

"We said we’d protect you," his parents murmured forlornly as they realized they couldn’t, wondering what went wrong and why they couldn’t understand their son anymore, and he wouldn’t let them because  _he_  was going to protect  _them_.

"Why don’t we talk anymore?" His sister had wondered when she noticed how distant he was, but he hadn’t answered her, and never planned to.

"Promise you’ll come back, Danny," his girlfriend had said desperately, pain on her face as he didn’t answer and flew off to fight once more, and he really should have answered because that might have changed his fate.

"Everything’s as it should be," a certain time master had always said, and Danny had never believed him, because he himself was proof that nothing was set in stone.

"I’m okay, I promise, guys," was the last thing he said to his best friends, but he knew he was lying no matter how much he wanted it to be true.

"Clockwork? I think I’m dying," he managed out with a weak smile, because he knew the time ghost was listening and wondered if he would interfere this time—but he probably wouldn’t, because so many things were flashing through Danny’s mind right now that he  _knew_  there was only so much time  _left_  and nothing could be done about it.

"I’m so sorry, Danny Phantom," a voice whispered in his ear, maybe his own, and there were so few minutes left in his life that these words would probably define the end of it—but not like this, he wanted to go a hero, but not like this.

"I’m not going ghost anymore," and with that he was human again, for the last time, and he wondered if he regretted not being human more.

"I’m sorry and good bye," he whispered as he closed his eyes, reflecting on his regrets and deciding he didn’t regret any of it—and he didn’t mind that he wouldn’t see any of the looks of anguish on his friends’ faces, or see all of his enemies stop dead in their tracks, or how time would still move without him because he knew it would, and he knew his death would mean something.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be okay."

He smiled faintly because the lie he desperately wanted to be true put him at ease, and he was at peace with that.

He faded away quietly in those five words.


End file.
